Happy Centennial to the NHL-LNH!

On 26 November, 1917, the National Hockey League/Ligue Nationale de hockey was founded in Montreal, Quebec. It would take 23 years from formation for the League to reach the more well-known era of the Original Six. Before that, teams like the Quebec Bulldogs, Hamilton Tigers, and Victoria Cougars battled for the Stanley Cup—which was an inter-league competition not yet reserved for NHL-only teams.

Indeed, the current roster of 31 teams greatly differs from these humble beginnings. The sport itself has also changed drastically. Despite its metamorphosis, there is no denying the NHL has deeply impacted Canadian culture over the last 100 years—regardless where your loyalty lies. So to honour this centennial anniversary, we’ve compiled a MQUP reading list exploring the relation between hockey and Canadian identity.

To most Canadians, the Molson name is part of the very fabric of Canada. Since 1786, when John Molson founded his first brewery in Montreal, it has become synonymous with beer, hockey, and philanthropy. Few realize, however, how close the family came in recent years to losing control of the enterprise. Back to Beer … and Hockey offers intimate details of the life and work of Eric Molson, who not only saved the company, but positioned it to thrive as a global brewery into the twenty-first century.

Although much of English Canada believes that hockey is a fanatically followed social unifier in Quebec, in reality it has always been politicized, divided, and troubled by religion, class, gender, and language. In The Same but Different, writers from inside and outside Quebec assess the game’s history and culture in the province from the nineteenth century to the present.

Despite the legendary reputations of Madison Square Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens, and the Montreal Forum, skating rinks and hockey arenas may be North America’s most overlooked cultural buildings. Architecture on Ice reveals the central role they have played in influencing urban, social, and political life across the continent.

This is not just a book about hockey but a book about life, rooted in Mike Babcock’s “Leave No Doubt” credo. Written by Babcock and his longtime friend Rick Larsen against the dramatic backdrop of the Canadian men’s gold medal victory in Vancouver, the book provides an inspiring roadmap for achieving goals and fulfilling dreams.

In Refereeing Identity, Michael Buma examines the ways in which the hockey novel genre attempts to reassure readers that “threatened” traditional Canadian and masculine identities still thrive on the ice. It is a timely and incisive account of how the game is represented—and misrepresented—in Canadian society.

Almost every Canadian can hum the original Hockey Night in Canada theme—even those who don’t think of themselves as hockey fans. For more than a century, Canadians have seen something of themselves in the sport of hockey. Canada’s Game explores the critical aspects of this relationship.

After a year spent documenting the working life and daily routines of players for an American Hockey League team, Michael Robidoux found that most peoples’ perceptions of hockey players’ lives as romantic and glamorized are unrealistic. Men at Play offers a bracing inside look at the dynamics of the fastest game on earth.

No Comments

No comments yet.

* Get an image next to your comment by visiting Gravatar.com and uploading a photo that links to your email address.